Carrier-despatch system.



C. 5. JENNINGS.

CARRIER DESPATCH SYSIENI. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9. 191 1 Patented Jun.7, 1919. 2 shins-slain:

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CARRIER DESPATCH SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MAYQ. I917.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

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CHESTER S. JENNINGS, OF FARMS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 TEE LAIVISONCOMPANY, 015 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 011" NEW JERSEY.

CARRIEB-DESPATGH SYSTEM.

laconic.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1917. SerialNo. 167,426. 1

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Guns'rnn SpJENNmos,

along a track past stations where there are usually trays or pans fromcertain of which papers or light parcels are despatchcd and a to certainof which said papers or parcels are delivered. a V The carriers, per.96, are termed pick-up carriers, because they are provided withco-acting jaws. one at least of which is mow, able and capable of beingactuated by a, cam disposed along the line of the track, to swing saidmovable jaw into position to permit it to pick up the article to bederpatched as its actuating armor mechanism passes out of engagementwith the cam.

The preferred type of the apparatus in question has been quite fullyexemplified in my Patent No. 1.171307, dated February 8, 1916, whichrelates to an intercounnunieating pick-up system; and aside from theintercommunicating feature. which forms no part of the presentinvention, the essential operating parts of the apparatus, such as thetrack, cable. cams, the carrier supported elements ontrolled by theselatter, etc, be, in the present case, substantially the same as in theconstruction disclosed in my said patent. y

While,- however, it has been found that for most purposes the carrierconstruction with its article clamping! jaws, such as has hitherto beenused, is adapted to meet the requirements of most stores or the like,where pick-up systems are usually installed; it has sometimes been foundnecessary to drive the propelling cable, and thereby to.

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comparatively high speed,and this has given rise to a rather serioussource of trouble.

Apparatus of this character in order toserve the purposes for which itis usually installed, frequently necessitates the provision of quiteabrupt turns or bends in its track, and if a series or batch of loosepapers, such as telegrams or the like, are des: patchediupon a givencarr1er,--whenth1s carrier is propelled very rapidly around a sharp bendor turn in the track, centrifugal force tends to dislodge these papers,or

at least those interiorly disposed in. the" batch,-with the result thatthey are under such circumstances frequently hurled out from between thejaws of the carrier, possi bly to be scattered over the floor.

If now, the spring on the carrier which causes the jaws to clamp ,thearticle to be transported, therebetween, be materially results inthrowing a greatly increased load upon the light cable, since it is thepull of,

or the tension in, the cable, which enables Patented Jan. 7, 1919..

the stationary track cams to force open the a movably mounted carrierjaws as they pass p the respective stations at which they pick up ordeposittheir loads.

Another grave ob ection to this mode of overcoming the ditficultyresides in the fact a.

that the wear and tear upon the carrier, and

especially upon their commonly provided fiber run-ways, is materiallyincreased.

It is the principal object of the present invention, therefore, toovercome this (lilticulty, and to do this in a manner which shall befree from the obiections noted.

It is also aimed to maintain the construe tionas simple as possible andto avoid complicated and expensive constructions.

These and other objects of mv invention will be hereinafter referred toand the novel combinations of means and elements whereby said objectsmay be attalned Wlll be p more particularly pointed out in the claimsappended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings which respective views, I have exemplifieda preferred construction; but as I am aware of various changes andmodifications which may be made herein without departing from the spiritof the invention, I desire to be limited only by the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fragment or portion of a pick-upcarrier system; show ing a carrier in the act of passing around a sharpbend in its track.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the carrier; the actuating arm of which is justabout to be operated by a track cam to deposit the load in the carrier.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view; "howing portions of the preferablyfixed jaw of the carrier with a set of the retainingand strippingdevices, hereinafter referred to, in place thereon.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of an incomplete section, taken substantially onthe line IV-TV of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view, taken substantially on the line VV of saidFig. 3.

The track preferably eomprises rails 1+1: suitably connected togetherand supported by brackets 2-2; a bracket 3 serving not only to connectthe rails, but also to provide a support or hearing for a pulley at,around which passes the cable 5, at the relatively abrupt bend in thetrack.

The carrier body, 6. rides between the rails 1, and is of course guidedthereby; the parts 6-6- of sa d body which immediately en gage therails, being preferably of fiber or the like. in order that the carriermay travel as ouietly as possible.

The carrier is drawn along by the cable; being furnished for thispurpose with an extenison 7, to which the cable 5 is'suitably connected.Upon the opposite side of the carr er is a bracket 8. upon which may berigidly mounted the fixed jaw 9; while the movable jaw 10 of the carrieris pivotally connected to said bracket for movementabout the axis of thesquare-ended shaft 11: and an operating arm 12 is rigidly connected tothe movable jaw 10, to the end that both of these members may be rotatedcounter-clockwise by a sprino; 18. into the positions which theynormally occupy with respect to the fixed jaw 9, as shown in F g.2.

The free end of the arm 12 is preferably provided with a roller 14,adapted to ride up onto its track cams 15, one of which is shown. partlyin section, in Fin. 2.

'Both the fixed and movable jaws are preferably formed from heavy bentwire, or light rods, and their shape is such as to adapt them toproperly support envelops or elongated parcels or papers, as shown in Fig. 1. To best accomplish this. laterally extend-- ing'loops orprojections 9 are" provided in.

the fixed jaw. with corresponding and coacting loops 10 in the movablejaw therebeneath.

A connecting strip 16, which provides a support for the elements now tobe described, has its extremities bent around the respective sides ofeach of the loops 9, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5; there being, hence.preferably two strips 16.

Each strip 16 is apertured centrally thereof for the reception of aninteriorly threaded stud 17; the lower end of which may be peened overas at 17, to rigidly unite said stud to its support.

To either side of each supporting strip, there is riveted aspring-retaining piece 18, to hold in place the ends of a bowed fiatspring 19; the shape of which, in longitudinal section, is substantiallythat shown in F in". 4.

The upper edge of the stud 17 is slotted across, as at 20, to receive asplit pin 21 or the like, which is inserted through a hole in thepin-screw 22, after the latter has been turned down into its stud thedesired distance. The split pin 21, of course prevents inadvertentrotation of the screw 22 after it has once been adjusted.

The screw 22 is thus made adjustable with respect to the strip 16 andspring 19. so that the pin 23, which is swagcd into the lower end ofscrew 22, may have its point normally well within the bow of the spring19, when the latter is not under compression.

In the center of the bowed spring. immediately below the pin 23, is ahole B -t through which said pin may be caused to project when the bowin the said flat spring is flattened out.

The function of the pins 23 is to penetrate or perforate the telegramsor like articles, and thereby to engage and retain preferably all ofthem firmly in position between the jaws 9 and 10 when the carrier uponwhich they are loaded passes rapidly around an abrupt curve. such asthat shown in the track in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the papers 25 are thus shown in position upon thecarrier, and while the two small holes made in the papers by the pins 23are so minute that their pres ence is substantially unobjectionable;nevertheless, small as they are, there i but little if any tendency forthe pins 23 therein to more than thus limitedly deform them, as byenlarging or tearing the small perforations into slots or rips,onaccount of the fact that the portions of said papers surrounding theperforations therein are held firmly, more or less flat, between thecarrier jaws and under such conditions the paper is capable of offeringvery considerable resistance to rupture from any stress applied in theplane thereof.

There is hence a sort of a dual co-action Ill) have deposited;

s a e between the; gripping jaws and the perforating pins, in that thejaws clampthe paper in such fashion as to enable it most successfully toresist being torn by the pins, when centrifugal force tends to hurl thepapers out from between the jaws ;-and the pins c0-act with the jaws tosupplement the clamping action of the latter sntiicicntly to prohibitinadvertent dislodgment of the articles. a i

The instant that thewjaws are out of their operative relationship, orinother words,in the construction given byway of exemplification,whenthe movable jaw 10is sprung the point-protectingor shielding springs 19automatically strip or resiliently free the papers olf from thepenetrating pins 23; thereby preventing a paper or papers frominadvertently clinging tosaid pinsiand be ing carried past the pointwhere they should This last is of considerable importance, since if thearticles were not thus dislodged from their engagement with said pins,they would quite frequently be unloaded onto the floor.

It will be observed that the jaw of the conveyer provided with thepenetrating means 23 may have as many such pins as desired for the classof work to be performed, and that a stripping device 19 is associatedwith each pin so that each pin is independently shielded from impropercontact with the thing to be carried until the jaws are closed, and isindependently strippediof the article carried thereby whenever the jawsare opened.

The fact that both ends of each spring 19 are made fast, prevents papersfrom getting caught under the spring ends, which again might result intheir failure to deposit at their destination point.

It may be added that it is believed to be wholly new in any carrierdespatch apparatus to thus provide means to automatically perforate anarticle when the jaws or equivalent retaining means are caused to graspor otherwise hold said article, preparatory to its transmission along away.

Also, the provision of means to thus per forate the article or arti lesat a plurality of spa ed points,-when the carrier is being loaded,instead of merely at one point, is of value; since otherwise a papermight swivel, so to speak, around the single point and thus danglepartly out beyond the path, in which the articles are intended totravel, until it encountered a trick bracket, or the like, wh ch wouldrip it out of the carrier.

Finally, I prefer to fasten the perforating and stripping devicesdirectly to the fixed jaw where the pins and their resilient shields areless likely to be injured in the event, which well may happen at sometime in any pel said carrier around the bend in/said track, said carrierhaving jaws to grip articles therebetween in combination with art]-cle-penetrating means on one member of the jawsadapted to aid the gripof the jaws,

whereby to prevent saidarticles from being hurled ontfrombetween thelatter by centrlfugal force when sald (52111161115 passing aroundsaid'benol in the track, and means carried by said member of the jawsfor releasing the penetrating means from the arti cles when the jaws areopened.

2. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means topropel said carrier along said track, said carrier havingarticle-gripping jaws and article-engaging means on one member of thejaws to co-act with said jaws to prevent an article, when in transit,from being displaced with respect to. said jaws, and spring means onsaid jaw member adapted to free said article from said first mentionedmeans when said jaws are out of operative relationship.

3. A pick-up carrier system comprising a trark, a carrier, and means topropel said carrier along said trak, said carrier having thereon apluralityof independent articlepenetrating means to prevent an article,when in transit, from being inadvertently thrown from said carrier and aplurality of automatically acting means independently coacting with eachof said penetrating means to free said article therefrom severally whenthe article is being unloaded from said carrier.

4. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means topropel said carrier along said track, said carrier having gripping jaws,one of said jaws being provided with article-penetrating means toprevent an article, when in transit, from being inadvertently thrownfrom said carrier, and resilient shielding means to strip said articlefrom said article=penetrating means when ever the gripping jaws are openadapted to shield said article-penetrating means when the jaws are open.

5. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means topropel said carrier along said track, said carrier having a jaw, fixedwith respect to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated movable jaw tocoact with said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by saidcarrier and means carried by one of said jaws for perforating saidarticle as it is being clamped.

6. A pickup carrier system comprising a track, a carrier,-and means topropel said carrier along said track, said carrier having a jaw, fixedwith respett to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated movable jaw tocoact with said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by saidcarrier and means carried by one of said jaws for perforating saidarticle at a plurality of spaced points, as said article is beingclamped between said jaws.

7. A pick-up carrier system comprising a track, a carrier, and means topropel said carrier along said track, said carrier having a jaw, fixedwith respect to the body of the carrier, a cam-operated jaw to co-actwith said fixed jaw to clamp an article to be conveyed by said carrier,means carried by one of said jaws for perforating said article as it'isbeing clamped, and means to strip said article from said perforatingmeans when said jaws are separated.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for 8. A pick-up carrier systemcomprising a track, a carrier, and means to propel said carrier alongsaid track, raid carrier having a jaw, fixed with respect to the body ofthe carrier, a cam-operated jaw to co-act with said fixed jaw to clampan article to be conveyed by said carrier, means carried by one of saidjaws for perforating said article as it is being clamped, and means tostrip said article from said perforating means when said jaws areseparated, said perforating and stripping means being mounted on saidfixed jaw.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

CHESTER S. JENNINGS.

Witnesses:

Euzamc'rn KEEFE', RUTH E. F ISKE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

